


The Man I Used to Know

by Melody55



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 14:42:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15865698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melody55/pseuds/Melody55
Summary: As per request of Lucas, this is a Jinx and Jason Todd Fiction that is set before 'Strained Relations.'





	The Man I Used to Know

**Author's Note:**

> As requested by Lucas, this is a Jinx and Jason Todd/ Red X fiction that takes place before 'Strained Relations.'

He was too late. We were too early. I had waited by the phone for days, hoping that he would call, that he would give me another chance. My palms sweat as my mind remembered that horrible night. It seemed like a perfect night at first, a perfect date with the Bat-boy that stole my heart.

Jason was the first man to ever make me truly laugh, not just a chuckle here and there, an actual laugh where I couldn’t breathe. He was sweet and strong. We both had dark pasts that we helped each other get through. With him, I felt like I could hide nothing, like I could really be myself and not hide behind a mask. But that night, I freaked out. Just as he was leaning in, his eyes trained on my lips, my powers acted up and I ended up running. My heart was beating faster than ever before, and my brain pounded with thoughts. From the shadows, I watched him stare after where I had once been. I couldn’t watch his pain. I ran home and locked the door. I hadn’t even seen the others that lurked in the shadows behind him.

He was too late. Batman was too late to save him. Days later, the phone rang, and I jumped to answer it. My heart leapt at the thought that he wanted me. It fell half way when a deeper voice answered, one that I knew only from the Justice League.

“Jinx, we have bad news.” I froze as my chest plummeted to my stomach. His words dragged tears out of my eyes and sent my lips quivering uncontrollably. “An explosion”, he had told me. Joker had sent his goons to grab Jason that night and had tortured him for a day before setting the bomb. Batman had only been a few yards away when it went off. They had found his body in the rubble, bruised and burned, bloody and dead. the phone fell out of my hands as the sobs were let out of my lips. I had cried myself to sleep for nights after that, locked myself in solitary until Bumble Bee had broken my door down, Kole in tow.

A week later, a private ceremony was held. I had dressed in all black. No speck of hot pink of purple to be seen, besides the pink my hair. I had stared at the coffin, eyes dried of any salty tears, mind free of thoughts. Everyone had lefts before I had. The rose in my hand wilted as my powers sparked. I didn’t even see the billionaire come up from behind me. His strong hand touched my shoulder sympathetically. He was oddly calm for loosing one of his little birds. Even Nightwing had shed a tear or two. Bruce had remained stoic through the call and the ceremony. He had only said a few words before the coffin was buried. My glowing eyes glanced up at him and my head mindlessly nodded. I tossed the rose in, on top of all of the others and turned, walking with Batman, back to the mansion where the wake was being held.

Months of solitude had passed. The only interactions I needed, or wanted, were the missions I was sent on from time to time. people had invited me out, tried to break down the walls that his death had put up, but no one could. Bumble Bee and Kole had weaseled their way into my Friday nights, forcing their way into my apartment for movie nights with drinking and ice cream.  They helped numb the pain and melt the frozen patches on my heart, but never fully. I didn’t think anyone really could. Not unless he miraculously came back and held me in his arms again. I had dreamed about it hundreds of times. I never thought it would happen.

It was another week before I got a call from Nightwing. I had just gotten home from working out, my bag was tossed on the couch and my hair was in a messy ponytail. My black leggings stuck to my skin and my purple sports bra clung to me. An odd chill from my apartment cooled my bare skin. Cautious, m y fingers sparked with energy. My communicator rang and Nightwing’s voice cam over the speaker. “Jinx, where are you?” he asked, caution in his voice.

“At my apartment,” I answered, making my way through the hallway. All of the doors had been closed except one, my room. My eyes were pinned on the darkness that shone through the crack.

“Be careful,” he warned as I stepped over the threshold, flicking on the light. My heart stopped at what was sitting up on my bed. His words became mute in my ears as I stared at the fuzzy bear with he purple bow, one that I had seen at a fair with Jason. He had tried to get it for me, to impress me, but the game was too rigged. Now, it laid on my bed, staring back at me. Slowly, I walked toward it. The ribbon was silk beneath my fingers. It’s dark brown eyes still shinned back at me, reminding me of the chocolate brown eyes that once warmly gazed into mine. “Jinx, can you hear me?” Nightwing’s voice came.

I nodded. My head shook as I realized that he wouldn’t have been able to see me. “Uh- yeah. Listen, Nightwing, I have to go.”

“But Jinx-” the rest of his sentence was cut off as I closed my communicator.

The floor creaked behind me and I quickly tossed the dark figure on my bed. A deep chuckle rang in my ears, melting my heart as tears built up and I backed up, my hands covering my mouth as I started at the dark figure. He was still in his dark fitted suit, a red bat across his chest. His hair was longer with a silver strip in the front. A dark brown jacket covered the dark sleeves and a tainted silver belt hung from his hips. “Nice to see you too, Jinxy,” were the last words I heard before my vision grew dark.

After what felt like an hour, the lights of my room blinded my tired eyes. I groaned and sat up, feeling the soft sheets of my bed. I sighed when I first looked around my room. Nothing had changed. there was no dark figure in the corner. Clothes still laid on my chair and my makeups still organized on my vanity that way I had organized them. the bear still sat beside me and my dresser drawers were still closed. My eyed opened quickly and flew back to the bear.

“Is this what a reunion with you is like?” a familiar voice came from the doorway. My heart pounded as I stared at the figure. It was definitely Jason. His name escaped my lips in a soft sigh. He nodded, and his arms raised from his sides. “It’s really me.” Sigh jumping from my lips, I bolted into his arms and let tears flow. I clung to him and he wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders.   

“I can’t believe it,” I softly said. I pulled away just enough to see his have and cup his cheek. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

“Believe it, Jinxy,” he chuckled. “I’m back and better than ever.”

Later on, I found out that ‘better than ever’ mean that he was way more violent. At first, I dismissed it as the rage from the Lazarus Pit. He had always had a violent streak, but nothing like this. He had tried to kill so many of the villains that we fought. He had physically fought with Batman when Bats told him that heroes don’t kill. I tried to calm him down, but nothing worked. I had always been able to before, but now, I couldn’t. A few times, e had turned on me. “You have darkness like I do, Jinxy, so what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that I never killed anyone or wanted to for that matter,” I shot back.

It felt like I had lost him again. he wasn’t the Jason I knew and loved. He may have looked like him, but he wasn’t. Jason Todd had fully become Red X. He was discharged from the Justice League for attempted murder on Joker. The villain had it coming, and I understood why Jason targeted him, but Bats disagreed. We had all tried to save him, but we were too late. Red X had taken over.

He had made himself into some vigilante, killing mobsters and bad guys. We had saved some of them before he dealt the fatal blow, but we couldn’t save them all. A few times, I was the one to stop him, sending him to the floor with one of my energy waves. We would duck and dodge each other’s attacks until one of the League would come and get the victim. Our fights were like dances. We would have been a perfect match, but we weren’t.

It took more than a year before I could talk to him again.

“I loved you, you know,” I whispered into the cool air, knowing he was hiding in the shadows. “What the hell happened?” I turned to him.

“I died,” he answered. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“You did, but that didn’t mean that you had to become such an ass,” I spat back. He was silent. “We all mourned you, buried you and cried for months because of what happened.”

“They did, or you did?” he countered.

“I did,” I said with a stale expression. He only nodded but stayed silent.

“Jinx,” he softly said when I turned back around, facing away from him. “I can never be that guy again.” I sighed and closed my eyes, lowering my head.

“I don’t expect you to be,” I told him. Silence stood between us once more. I turned back to face him. I sighed. “Look, understand why you wanted revenge, but you know as well as I do that-“

“If you say that killing people is bad, so help me-”

“I wasn’t,” I cut him off. “I was going to say that killing people is a lot less painful than torturing them. If you had killed Joker, we wouldn’t have been able to lock him up in solitary for life. Him not being able to talk to anyone or get in anyone’s minds will be torture enough for him.” Jason grinned. “Killing people is the easy revenge, but it’s also an easy escape for them.”

“And that’s why I love you, Jinxy,” he chuckled. “Even when I’m demented like this, you can still knock sense into me.” He paused, “So I guess you’re gonna try and get me reinstated into the League?”

I shook my head. “You have more freedom out here. No one can track you and no one will tell you what to do. The only thing I ask is that you pop in from time to time and not try and kill anyone.”

His brow raised. “So, you’re not gonna turn me in, or anything like that? Not even gonna try and make me love you again.”

My stomach twisted, but I shook my head. “I still have feelings for you, but- I don’t think I can be your partner in crime like you would want. I don’t expect you to change for me, I never wanted you to. Just knowing that you’re okay and happy is good enough for me.” It wasn’t all a lie. I wanted him to be happy, but I also wanted him back. I wanted him to hold me in his arms again, to make me laugh. I still wondered how his lips would feel against mine. Would they fit perfectly, or would the kiss be sloppy and bad? ‘Impossible,’ I thought. He couldn’t be a bad kisser if he tried.

With one last grin, he started to turn away. “Thanks, Jinxy,” he said over his shoulder. a moment passed before he turned around again and cupped the back of my neck. His lips pressed against mine and I smiled in his embrace. As quickly as it started, he pulled away and vanished into the shadows. I was right. He wasn’t a bad kisser. It was nice and warm, but something was missing. Something wasn’t there between us. Call it a spark or the lack of stomachs twisting, but it wasn’t there, and I didn’t mind. I knew that we would remain just friends, and I was okay with that. At least I had him back.   


End file.
